A big cheesy grin for Caromont Farm: The purveyor’s Esmontonian recently took home a second place prize in the American Cheese Society’s annual competition, earning distinction as an American-made goat’s milk cheese. Rapidan’s Everona Dairy racked up two wins, garnering third place in the category for farmstead goat’s milk cheeses aged over 60 days and second place for its Pride of Bacchus, a sheep’s milk cheese soaked in lees from Early Mountain Vineyard.
Here’s a good excuse for a road trip without leaving too many comforts of home behind: Epicurience Virginia, in partnership with Saveur magazine, is hosting a food and wine festival in Leesburg August 30 to September 2. The $95 event will feature two local wineries—Barboursville Vineyards and Trump Winery —and many others from D.C. and Loudoun County. Visit epicvirginia.com for more details.
Everybody likes a bargain, and now through August 31, the Clifton Inn is feeding your need for a good deal with 50 percent off the chef’s seasonal tasting menu, regularly $150 per person. Talk about putting your money where your mouth is—this is a great way to get a taste of what chef Tucker Yoder’s popular restaurant has to offer. Call 971-1800 to make reservations, which are recommended.
We’ve written about Veritas Vineyard & Winery in this week’s Working Pour (pg. 169), but the Crozet spot joined Ankida Ridge Vineyards, Early Mountain Vineyards, and Foggy Ridge Cider in a writeup in the September issue of Food & Wine magazine, too. The article, entitled “A road trip into the heart of American terroir,” follows top sommelier Steven Grubbs as he makes his way through the South’s best wine regions.
Who serves the best burger in Charlottesville? In partnership with the food website The Charlottesville 29, we plan to find out. Our readers’ poll in that category was so hotly contested (with Citizen Burger Bar taking the win from perennial top performer Boylan Heights) that we’ve formed a panel of food experts to help settle the matter. We’ve searched far and wide for nominations, and over the next several months, judges will evaluate burgers from a long list of local semi-finalists. Early next year, we’ll tally their confidential ratings and announce the results. In the meantime, if there’s a burger that you think our judges absolutely must try, let us know at charlottesville29 @gmail.com. May the best burger win!